1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a device for making a skin incision of predetermined depth and predetermined length.
2. Prior Art:
Determination of a patient's bleeding time in accordance with the method devised by Ivy includes making a skin incision on the palm side of the patient's forearm and measuring the time that elapses until the bleeding has crease. On each occasion two such determinations are made with the incisions parallel and separated about 2 cm. The mean value of the measured bleeding times is taken.
In order that the determination may produce a correct result, the skin incision must have a certain standardized depth and it should also have a certain standardized length. In practice it is necessary therefore to use some form of mechanical device for making the incision.
Skin incision devices for use in the determination of bleeding time according to the method of Ivy are known in the art. Examples of known embodiments of such devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,712,293 and 3,902,475 and French Patent Publication No. 2,327,755. The prior art devices are disadvantageous in some respects, e.g. by being unhandy and/or expensive.